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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724753">Recycled</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/needles/pseuds/needles'>needles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bokuaka Detective drabbles [52]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:27:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724753</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/needles/pseuds/needles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bokuto was all in favour of environmentally friendly power generation and recycling as long as he didn't have to get up close and personal with it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bokuaka Detective drabbles [52]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2116251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Recycled</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So Akaashi what do you make of it?” Bokuto cocked his head sideways squinting at the tiny piece of bone between Keiji’s gloved fingers.</p>
<p>“It’s a lunate bone, the right one.” He popped it back in the bag and handed it to him.</p>
<p>“It <em>is</em> human though?” Bokuto asked looking at the small concave object.</p>
<p>“Oh it’s human, it’s from the wrist.” He walked over to the mass of pipe work and tanks nearby and began looking them up and down. “The question now is how did it reach the outlet valve and where did it enter the system?”</p>
<p>Bokuto followed him. “Because?”</p>
<p>“Because Bokuto san, that is where we will find the rest of the body,” Keiji said, thoughtfully.</p>
<p>“So there’s more?”</p>
<p>“Wrist bones are not commonly found in isolation. A single phalange could be the result of an accident resulting in the loss of a minor appendage, but not a wrist bone.” </p>
<p>“You mean someone could just lose a finger.”<em> Bokuto mentally congratulated himself, he got that one!</em></p>
<p>“Exactly. But that bone,” Keiji pointed to the bag, “is buried deep in the wrist. We are looking for at least an arm, most likely a whole body.”</p>
<p>“What on Earth is all this stuff anyway Akaashi?” Bokuto asked, looking at the large tanks.</p>
<p>“It’s an anaerobic digester. It converts organic waste into biogas to be used as fuel.”</p>
<p>Bokuto gave an approving nod. “Very commendable.” Then a thought struck him. “Hang on Akaashi, you said organic waste, you mean bodies?”</p>
<p>“Normally no, but in theory anything can be digested with the right bacteria. Most digesters use wastewater, sewage sludge or food waste.”</p>
<p>Bokuto looked a little green. “So someone ended up in the tank and got digested.” He grimaced. “I thought that bathtub body was bad but…digested, ugh!”</p>
<p>“Well it’s clear that there is no other access point big enough for a body to enter through apart from the tank hatch so we need to open that up and take a look inside,” Keiji said firmly.</p>
<p>Bokuto cringed. “You want to get in that thing?” </p>
<p>“The larger bones will not be able to penetrate the pipe work; the bulk of the remains should still be recoverable from the sludge at the bottom of the tank.” Keiji turned away and headed to the SUV to get changed.</p>
<p>Bokuto crossed to the cops and forensic techs gathered in a knot watching them and issued a string of orders. Then he re-joined his partner who was wriggling out of his pants in the back of the SUV.</p>
<p>“Akaashi can’t you just pull the suit on over the top? Did you have to strip in public?” He stood trying to block the appreciative gazes of a couple of female techs.</p>
<p>“Hey, you two give my partner some privacy or I’ll have your passes and you’ll find yourselves back on filing!” he shouted.</p>
<p>“Bokuto san there’s no need for that.” Keiji stripped off his shirt to reveal a toned and surprisingly muscular chest underneath. “I need to wear the minimum because anaerobic digestion generates a lot of heat. It will be exceedingly warm in the tank. Now you’d better do the same it looks like they’ve almost got the top of the tank off.”</p>
<p>His partner’s mouth fell open. “Me?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Bokuto san I need some help in there. It will be much quicker working with someone who knows my methods. I’ve got your suit out.”</p>
<p>“I just wish you could have decided to use me as assistant on some nice dry set of bones in a field,” Bokuto griped, removing his jacket, shirt, and tie.</p>
<p>“Then I wouldn’t need help anyway.” Keiji smiled as he frantically tried to balance on one leg to remove his footwear.</p>
<p>“Having fun Akaashi?” Bokuto said sarcastically as he slid his pants down.</p>
<p>“Ooh I like those Bokuto san, here let me see, are they anatomically correct?” Keiji leaned closer to study the skeletons decorating his boxers.</p>
<p>“Akaashi! Stop ogling, and no they’re not they’re just cartoons ok?” Bokuto said, a red flush rising up his neck as he grabbed for the suit and stepped into it.</p>
<p>“You took a very good look at my underwear Bokuto.” Keiji laughed.</p>
<p>“I did not ogle your underwear Akaashi!” he said in offended tones. </p>
<p>“Then why did your pupils dilate and your….?” Keiji pointed to his groin with a sly smirk.</p>
<p>“Akaashi!” Bokuto zipped up the suit, depriving Keiji of the delicious view of his bare chest, and hurriedly pulled the gumboots onto his feet.</p>
<p>As Bokuto hastily shepherded him over to the tank Keiji continued. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of Bokuto san it’s a very healthy male reaction. You should be glad your body is functioning so efficiently; it would be more worrying if you had failed to have a reaction.”</p>
<p>“Akaashi please! Not in front of the techs! Crime scene face please.”</p>
<p>Keiji shook his head and composed his face into a carefully neutral expression as he ascended the access ladder in front of him.</p>
<p>At the top they were both hit by a wall of damp humid air reeking with the stench of decomposing plant and animal matter.</p>
<p>Bokuto clamped his hand over his face. “Jeez Akaashi, you want us to get in there?”</p>
<p>“I agree it is noisome but you’ll get used to it in a moment. Besides, it’s beginning to clear now the tank is open. It’s just a giant compost heap really”</p>
<p>“Yeah, with a dead body in it like all good compost heaps.”</p>
<p>Keiji rolled his eyes at him, pulled on his gloves and started down the inside ladder.</p>
<p>Fortunately, the blockage to the outlet valve caused by the bone meant that no feed had been added to the digester for several days whilst the engineers tried to find the cause of the fault. As a consequence the sludge at the bottom was only a foot deep. Nevertheless it was still warm and sucked at Bokuto’s boots. Occasionally a large bubble of gas rose to the surface and burst with a revolting plop and a strong smell of methane.</p>
<p>“It’s like a prehistoric swamp down here,” he commented.</p>
<p>“Actually that’s a fairly accurate comparison Bokuto san.” Keiji agreed and plunged his hand up to his elbow into the gloop feeling around for anything resembling a bone.</p>
<p>“Ugh Akaashi that is just nasty.”</p>
<p>“It’s the only way I’m going to find out if there’s a body in here Bokuto san.”</p>
<p>Bokuto gritted his teeth. “Do you want me to search too?”</p>
<p>“No Bokuto san, you wouldn’t know what you were feeling, just get the bags ready for any finds and pass them up to the techs,” he said, moving slightly sideways and feeling again.</p>
<p>For once Bokuto was not going to argue with him. </p>
<p>Keiji drew his hand out, clutched in his fingers were two curved objects that even Bokuto could recognise as ribs. He held out a large bag and Keiji dropped them in. He sealed it and passed it up to the techs as Keiji resumed his search.</p>
<p>After two hours they had a respectable number of the larger bones, and some of the smaller ones since they had retrieved a foot still partially articulated. Keiji was just missing the skull, the most vital for reconstruction. The lower jaw had come up but the skull had not been with it, or in close proximity. </p>
<p>There was just one area left to search. Keiji was hopeful since it was near one of the outlet drains, that it would have trapped a number of smaller bones, as indeed it had. He sent his arm back in again and Bokuto saw the look of satisfaction on his face. He knew Keiji’s fingers had just found what they had been hunting. He pushed his other hand into the sludge and Bokuto could see him easing and twisting it free of the sucking vacuum. In triumph he pulled it out and held it in his hands with a look of delight. He wiped off the sticky sludge and looked at it critically.</p>
<p>“Female, age mid-twenties, looks like a sharp blow to the back of the head but I will need to clean it and look at it further to tell if that was cause of death or just the result of the body being thrown in here.”</p>
<p>They bagged the skull; Keiji did one last sweep of the outlet area and then they climbed out of the tank. Then he summoned the head technician.</p>
<p>“We need to find the rest of the smaller bones; I need you to collect all the sludge and send it to the lab. When you’ve done that, they need to wash out the tank and the pipes sieving all the water through a fine filter, there are a lot of teeth missing and we need to find as many as we can for identification.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Sensei.” The tech scurried off to give his staff the good news that they had several more hours of smelly work ahead of them. But the job would be done as requested, Akaashi’s ire was as legendary as his intellect.</p>
<p>Bokuto looked at him. “You sound like you’ve done this before Akaashi?” </p>
<p>“Almost, it was a septic tank in Guatemala.”</p>
<p>They reached the SUV and stripped off the stinking overalls, sealing them into a bin bag. Then they quickly re-dressed and climbed into the car.</p>
<p>They had gone only a few miles when Bokuto hit the switch and dropped all the windows; Keiji gave him a puzzled look.</p>
<p>“Too warm Bokuto san?”</p>
<p>“No Akaashi, I’m sorry, I’m stinking out the car, I can still smell that sludge on me. This car was getting as noisome as that tank.”</p>
<p>“It’s not just you Bokuto san, I stink too.” He sniffed at a strand of his hair in disgust. “We both need a shower before we go into work.”</p>
<p>“There Akaashi I agree with you.” He grinned.</p>
<p>“My place is closest we can use my shower; you have a change of clothes with you don’t you?”</p>
<p>“In my bag. Thanks Akaashi.”</p>
<p>He pulled up at his partner’s apartment, grabbed his bag and they headed inside.</p>
<p>“Bokuto san, you go first, if you give me your clothes, I can put all our dirty things in the washer. They’ll be clean and dry by this evening.” Keiji headed into his bedroom tossing his clothes into a heap on the floor as he stripped them off. He emerged a few minutes later wrapped in a short dressing gown with them in a pile and thrust them into his machine.</p>
<p>“It’s your shower Akaashi you should get first go at the hot water, I don’t mind it cold.” <em>‘Actually,’</em> he thought,<em> ‘with Akaashi running around in that robe showing his long legs he might need it cold.’</em></p>
<p>Keiji strode back down the hallway towards him and to his surprise began to slide off his suit jacket. Then nimble fingers undid his tie and slipped it from around his neck.</p>
<p>“Akaashi! What are you doing?” he said nervously.</p>
<p>“Getting your clothes to wash Bokuto san,” he smiled, unbuttoning Bokuto’s shirt deftly and stripping it off. “Take off your pants; I need your boxers and socks too.”</p>
<p>Bokuto was so stunned he did as ordered; grabbing the towel Keiji offered him and wrapping it round his waist while Keiji started the washing machine.</p>
<p>“Shower Bokuto san,” Keiji pointed him towards the bathroom. </p>
<p>Bokuto stepped in and Keiji followed him. </p>
<p>“Do you mind Akaashi?” Bokuto asked feeling awkward. </p>
<p>“Not at all, do you? I thought we could both make use of the hot water.” Keiji dropped his robe and stepped into the shower. Before Bokuto could flee a hand came out and grabbed him by the arm pulling him in too.</p>
<p>“Akaashi!”</p>
<p>A towel flew out of the cubicle as Keiji shut the door and turned on the water.</p>
<p>“What are you doing with that sponge Akaashi? Akaashi, are you sure we should be doing this?”</p>
<p>“Absolutely Bokuto san.”</p>
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